KUCHING, April 11 — The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee said today it will study whether permission for certain sectors to operate in Peninsular Malaysia during the movement control order (MCO) should also be extended to the state.
Its Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the state’s decision will not necessarily mirror Putrajaya’s.
“We will study the list of those sectors and will make a decision based on the needs of Sarawak,” he told reporters in his daily briefing on Covid-19 in the state.
“If you ask me personally, I would say that the time has not come yet for us to allow barbershops and hair salons to operate in Sarawak.”
Yesterday, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) released a list of outlets allowed to operate within the standard operating procedures including barbershops, but the decision has received criticisms and will be reviewed according to public feedback.
At today’s meeting, Karim said SDMC allowed contractors or companies that provide repair service and the supply of water and electricity to operate.
He said these matters are considered as essential services and that the police and military will not stop the contractors and companies from carrying out their works.
SDMC had previously allowed sectors such as hardware shops; outlets selling agriculture inputs, like fertiliser, weedicide, insecticide and animal feed; vehicle repair shops; and spare parts shops to operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7am to 7pm, until further notice.
